Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:19:02 -0200 From: Gonzalo Nemmi <gnemmi@gmail.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: man -t odd page size Message-ID: <200810230419.02539.gnemmi@gmail.com> In-Reply-To: <20081023074953.9b2c4c2d.freebsd@edvax.de> References: <200810222335.26022.gnemmi@gmail.com> <200810230258.42153.gnemmi@gmail.com> <20081023074953.9b2c4c2d.freebsd@edvax.de>
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On Thursday 23 October 2008 3:49:53 am Polytropon wrote: > On Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:58:42 -0200, Gonzalo Nemmi <gnemmi@gmail.com> wrote: > > Brainstorming .. im thinking maybe there should be no app defined default > > (in this case).. Maybe you just threw the key on the table .. and default > > should be what an enviromental setting says default should be > > (PAGESIZE=letter, PAGESIZE=a4) and not what the apps thinks it should be > > ... > > There is something similar placable into /etc/make.conf: > > PAGE= A4 > PAPERSIZE= a4 > A4= yes > > But this is of course not honoured by applications at run time, > and only by a few at compile time. > > > Furthermore .. > > maybe the app should halt if it finds no enviromental setting is > > available and ask the user to set it in order to know how to proceed. > > Another idea would to conclude the paper size from a locale setting, > let's say, if it's en_US, then select letter, or A4 else. Exactly ... you just avoided a "halt" due to undefined env setting :) > For example, programs like Gimp require a setting to be done manually > from within the printing dialog. It shouldn't be there. Things like > paper size should be set at system level, not neccessarily at > application level. It will make things easier when administrating > a system - set paper size once, then forget it. And even if you (as the admin or through /usr/share/skel/*) set it once and forget about it, every user would still be able to set/override his preferred default paper/page size via .cshrc or the like just as we decide whether to use "less" or "more" as a pager ;) So paper/page size would be determined at app run time on a case by case basis :) As a side effect, we just took the burden of letting devels decide what "default" action should be ... if no arg is given, switch to default, which will read the value assigned to PAGESIZE or resort to en_US to default to "letter" or A4 if else, should PAGESIZE not be defined. As a consecuence, those who have en_US will always have "letter" as default (regardless of whether they set PAGESIZE or not). And the rest of us will be happy with A4 or would still have the chance to set PAGESIZE=letter. And best of it all is: app default behaviour never changed ! The only diference is that it will read an env before acting ... that env "changes" the way the app behaves. But that change is transparent to the user ;) > An idea would be to place the paper size setting "near" your > printing filter (not the spooler) and advice applications to read > it from there, maybe from a file, maybe from an environmental > variable. Well .. I think that makes two of us now :D Regards ! PS: now I want to send you a postcard of my city (Buenos Aires)! Send me your address on a private mail if you'd like to get it :) -- Blessings Gonzalo Nemmi
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